Basement window construction



July 10, 1956 L. CARNICK BASEMENT WINDOW CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 7, 1954INVENTOR. A y; r 6'? raw/ck United States Patent 2,753,964 BASEMENTWINDOW CONSTRUCTION Lyle Carnick, Detroit, Mich., assignor to CopcoSteel & Engineering Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of MichiganApplication January 7, 1954, Serial No. 402,692 3 Claims. (Cl. 189-69)This invention relates to a basement window construction and moreparticularly to a basement window having a removable ventilatorinstalled in a frame, the ventilator having means to balance to controlof the ventilator in opening, closing and locking the same in the frame,the control means also embodying the locking mechanism.

The instant invention employs metal frames and ventilators, but theconstruction is also applicable to wooden units. Most basement windowunits are arranged with center mounted locking levers or devices. Whenthese levers are grasped to open or close the ventilators, the controlis very uncertain, precarious and often ineffective, because theventilator can swing to either side of center thus going easily out ofcontrol in opening or closing operations. Ventilators of metal are oftenquite heavy in weight, being fitted with glass panes and sealing putty.Also, excessive loading of the frame top bar causes difficulty inoperating such center lever locking devices, which often become jammedor distorted. A further difficulty in control is the fact that basementWindows are located near the basement ceiling or joist line, above theheads of most persons. Very often ventilators are dropped out of framesor improperly locked or jammed in their frames because the locking leveris located in the middle of the ventilator.

Side arm connected window ventilators are also difficult to control inthat the disengaging arm slots must be very carefully positioned at bothsides of the ventilator before the latter can be freed of the arms. Thisoften is difficult because a view of the arm slot positions is notalways possible, and then the operation is accomplished by feeling thearm slots with respect to the ventilator. These side arm problems arecompletely absent from the instant invention, where the control andlocking means are clearly visible and simply operated.

To avoid such difiiculties, the present invention provides control ofthe ventilator at both sides, where the control locking handles aregrasped by the person who is installing, opening or closing theventilator. The handles further serve as locking levers, and becausethey are positioned at each side of the ventilator, the closure ispositive and distortion of the ventilator and/ or the frame is avoided.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a basement windowconstruction in which the window ventilator is arranged to tilt and openfrom the top, control and handles means being provided at each sidethereof. Another object is to provide control and handle means thatfunction also as locking levers. Still another object is to provide aventilator that is independent of the window frame when the controllocking means are disengaged therefrom. A further object is to produce awindow that is less costly, more positive in operation, more efiicientand effective, and easier to handle.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent fromthe description given below. The

description together with the appended drawings is a disclosure of oneform which the invention may take, and is not intended to be alimitation of the forms and variations which persons skilled in the artmay make. For a visual understanding of the invention, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a reduced frontelevational view of the basement window embodying the inventiveconstruction.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, partsbeing broken away.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal fragmentary sectional view of the ventilatorcontrol means substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical fragmentary sectional view of the ventilator tiltedopen in the window frame.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1,parts being broken away.

As shown in Fig. 1, the basement window 10 comprises an outer frame 12,a ventilator 14, and control handles 16 arranged at each side of theventilator.

Frame 12 comprises a top bar 18, a bottom bar 20, and side bars 22, allof Z-section shape. Tilting stop pins 24 are riveted into the side bars22 near the bottom thereof. Control handle locking pins 26 are rivetedinto the side bars 22 substantially above the horizontal center line ofthe window.

Ventilator 14 consists of a top bar 28 and side bars 30, all ofZ-section shape, and a bottom bar 32 of T- section shape. Bottom bar 32is provided with a vertical section 34 and a horizontal T-stem 36.Tilting pins 38 are riveted into bottom bar T-stem 36 to provide apivoting means in tilting the window open, and as a pivoting means inlocking the window along the frame bottom bar 20. A small secction ofT-bar vertical section 34 is coped out at its ends to allow for adequatetilting of the ventilator before it is stopped by pins 24. These latterpins are located above the top edge of frame bottom bar 20 a distancesufiicient to permit the ventilator T-bar 32 to slide out or through inorder to remove the ventilator 14 from the frame 12. Insertion of theventilator is achieved by passing the T-bar 32 back into the framebetween the tilting pins 24 and the frame bar 20.

Control handles 16 are arranged to swing in a vertical slot 40 cut inventilator side bars 30, and pivot on pins 42 fixed in side bars 30.Control handles 16 have a broad flat handle portion 44, a web plate 46,normal to portion 44, through which pivot pin 42 passes, and a cam catch48 arranged in parallel with but offset from handle portion 44 by theconnecting web plate 46.

Control handles 16 are located on pins 42 substantially above thehorizontal center line or center of gravity of the ventilator 14 inorder that when they are grasped, the ventilator will depend in avertical fashion, greater control in handling the ventilator in or outof the frame, in tilting the ventilator open, or in closing it tightlyin the frame.

Glass lights or panes 50 are sealed in the ventilator framing bars bymeans of putty 52, about a center T- section divider 54, in accordancewith current window practice.

Because of the side control, locking and camming action of the controlhandles 16, the perimetric contact of the ventilator and the frame ispositive and complete. In addition, the camming action of the controlhandles 16 against locking pins 26 causes the ventilator T-bar 32 tobear firmly down against the frame bottom bar or sill 20, so as to makeit substantially weathertight.

Another feature of the construction is that double contact is achievedbetween the top and side bars of both ventilator and frame, thus makingfor an excellent weatherproof seal in the window. In Fig. 5, it will bethus giving noted the side bar Z-sections bear against each other at twolines, front and rear, so that a positive double weathering contact isachieved.

In operation, the basement window here described functions by a verysimple method. The window frame 12 is fixedly mounted in a windowopening, arranged in a cement block, brick or poured concrete wall. Theframe should be sealed in place to prevent moisture and air leaks aboutthe frame bars. The ventilator 14 is then put into the frame by passingthe bottom bar pins 38 over and down inside past the frame bottom bar20, at the same time easing ventilator bottom T-bar 32 past tilting stoppins 24 on the frame side bars 22.

To lock the ventilator 14 in place, control handles 16 are pivoted andlifted upwardly so that the cam catches 48 pass under locking pins 26.Handle portions 44 are then pivoted downward to lie flush alongventilator side bars 30, swinging cam catches 48 behind and into firmcamming engagement with locking pins 26.

To tilt ventilator 14 open, the control handle portions 44 are pivotedupward, releasing cam catches 48 from pins 26 and the ventilator istilted outwardly at the top, swinging downward on tilting pins 38 untilstop pins 24 engage bottom T-bar 32 and bring the ventilator to rest.

It will be seen from the above that all action and operation of theventilator 14 takes place after the control handles 16 are grasped bythe person operating the window. Such balanced control insures smoothfunctioning of the window in its installation, opening, closing orremoval operations. More efiicient closing is obtained because thewindow is cam latched above the center line, and there is practically nodanger of leaving the window open when the control handles are pusheddownward into locking position.

Because the control handle portions 44 are arranged and lie fiat uponthe ventilator side bars 30, damage to the handles is substantiallyeliminated. Also packaging for shipment, and stacking of the units instorage or shipment is considerably improved. These aspects of theinvention bring about a substantial reduction in costs.

It will be obvious, of course, that. the construction here disclosed isalso applicable to residential, industrial and commercial windows.

Having described my invention in its simplest terms, it is to beunderstood that the details of the foregoing specification may bechanged and varied in greater or lesser degree without departing fromthe essence of my invention.

I claim:

l. The combination of a metal window frame having jambs and outwardlyextending flanges along at least the inner edges of said jambs, a metalwindow sash mountable upright within said frame, said sash having stilesat either side thereof, and a pair of handles, means pivotally mountingsaid handles on the stiles of saidsash at either side thereof, saidhandles having a grip portion adapted to be grasped by the hand andbeing arranged to be swung away from the sash in a vertical path normalto the plane of said sash into an open position and to be swung towardthe sash to a locking position inwardly of the plane of said flanges ofthe jambs of said frame, said handles including a web portion having asashlocking cam thereon disposed between the stiles of said sash and thejambs of said frame, said frame having members engageable by said camsfor locking the sash in closed position, said sash and frame includingcooperating elements for permitting the lower end of said sash to pivotrelative to said frame and to permit removal of the sash from said frameupon upward movement of the sash relative to said frame, whereby saidsash may be removed from said frame by grasping and swinging saidhandles into said open position and lifting said sash from said frame.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, in which the sash stiles have aninner edge portion and the handles have a shoulder that engages saidinner edge portions of said sash stiles at a point adjacent the handlepivot means to limit movement of said handles into open position.

3. The combination of a removable window sash having stile members andtop and bottom rail members, a window frame, and a pair of handles, saidsash having coplanar flange elements on the inner side of each of thetop and stile members adapted to engage said frame, said handles havinggrip portions and web portions connected thereto, said stile flangeelements each having a slot, the web portion of said handles passingthrough the respective slots in said stile flange elements, meanspivotally mounting said web portions on said sash at either stile flangeelement thereof in horizontal alignment above the center line of saidsash, locking pins mounted on said frame, and sash locking cams on saidweb portions adapted to latch on said locking pins, said grip portionsbeing arranged to pivot into a position flush with said sash when in itsclosed position and to swing outwardly from said sash in a vertical pathnormal to said sash into an opening position, whereby said sash may belifted by grasping said handles and completely removed from said frame,said sash at such time pivotally hanging from said handle pivot meansand assuming a substantially vertical position by gravity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS312,357 Kinzer Feb. 17, 1885 388,002 Selle Aug. 14, 1888- 760,350 RodneyMay 17, 1904 1,299,460 Grotjohann et al. Apr. 8, 1919 1,662,453 BoeckMar. 13, 1928 2,396,520 Mastrangelo Mar. 12, 1946 2,456,464 SteinickeDec. 14, 1948 2,638,640 Ballard May 19, 1953

